Course Descriptions
POLI 5440 The Politics of Affect: Theories of Emotion and Political Life
CREDIT HOURS: 3
This course draws on recent developments in the burgeoning of field of affect studies to address the relation of both conscious and non-conscious emotive experience to public and political life. Drawing on the insights and scholarship from different disciplines, we will examine the social, political and cultural theories of affect, emotion, and aesthetics to explore their role in political decision-making and public responses. Topics will include the affective logic of public threat, the cultural politics of emotion such as fear and shame; sensorial responses to moralistic rhetoric; visceral responses to social groups and/or cultural practices. We will also look at how sensibility, feeling, and affect have operated in social and political movements, including a consideration of emotions such as fear, disgust, and distain, and compassion in social conflict, and in the formative approaches to retribution and reconciliation.
FORMAT: Seminar
PREREQUISITES: Permission of the instructor
CROSS-LISTING:
POLI 4440.03
POLI 5450 Democracy, Human Rights, War, and Peace: Ethics in International Affairs
CREDIT HOURS: 3
What duties do states, and their members, have beyond their borders? Are obligations of justice global in scope? Or, alternatively, are they constrained by national borders? What is the moral standing of states? This graduate-level seminar will focus on contemporary debates in international political theory. In this course we will discuss liberal, republican and discursive democratic perspectives on issues of global justice, particularly in light of global social structures and international inequalities. Major themes include: the historical roots of international relations theory; global distributive justice; republicanism and the ideal of non-domination; the possibility of global discursive democracy; cosmopolitanism; the moral relevance of borders; nationalism, patriotism and special duties; sovereignty, international law and the international order. Major thinkers include: Immanuel Kant, John Rawls, Jürgen Habermas, Phillip Pettit, Charles Beitz, Thomas Pogge, Iris Marion Young and Seyla Benhabib, among others. Students should therefore have a background in political theory. The course will consist of seminar discussions, framed by short presentations by students that draw on their critical reflection papers.
FORMAT: Seminar
PREREQUISITES: Background in political theory and/or political philosophy is recommended.
POLI 5466 The Social and Political Construction of Health and Medicine
CREDIT HOURS: 3
Despite the rise of “evidence-based medicine,” the way in which health and illness are understood and addressed remains strongly influenced by social and political variables. This class examines the way in which the “scientific” evidence underlying medicine is constructed and applied; the manner in which certain categories of illness (depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, addiction, low libido, and obesity) are mediated by social and political dynamics; and the role of specific social and political agents in shaping how health and illness are conceived and addressed. In contradistinction to
POLI 4260.03, which focuses on systems and institutions, this class looks at the way in which ideas and epistemology shape conceptions of health, the design of health policy, and the practice of medicine.
NOTES: Please note that this class is held with
POLI 4466.03.
FORMAT: Seminar
PREREQUISITES: By permission of the instructor.
EXCLUSIONS:
POLI 4466.03
POLI 5476 Liberalism and Global Justice
CREDIT HOURS: 3
This is a course in normative political theory. We will critically examine some recent normative political theory, and then examine the prospects and perils of attempts by recent liberal theory to articulate a principled vision of global justice. We will consider Rawls' original bounded theory of justice and examine some challenges it faces from both cosmopolitan theories of justice and proponents of nationalism. Next we'll consider rival political conceptions of liberal international justice, and Rawls' response in the form of his recent The Law of Peoples. Concluding, we will examine specific issues of applied political justice (namely, human rights and immigration) as well as issues of economic and social justice and poverty.
FORMAT:
CROSS-LISTING: PHIL 5212.03,
PHIL 3476.03, POLI 3476.03
POLI 5479 Classical Liberalism and Democracy
CREDIT HOURS: 3
Liberalism takes a variety of forms and includes many topics including the rule of law, limited government, the free exchange of goods, entitlement to property, the self, and individual rights. Its philosophical and political assumptions provide the intellectual context within which its account of the individual, its vision of the community and its preferred allocation of resources will be assessed. Recent work in Democratic Theory will also be explored.
FORMAT: Seminar
FORMAT COMMENTS: Seminar 3 hours
CROSS-LISTING:
PHIL 5470.03
EXCLUSIONS:
PHIL 4470.03,
POLI 4479.03
POLI 5481 Theories of Violence, Persecution and Genocide
CREDIT HOURS: 3
This course will provide an overview of contemporary theoretical approaches to systemic violence, particularly against racial, ethnic, and sexuality minorities. Through a selection of historical and contemporary case studies, it will assess different accounts and explanatory frameworks for understanding the instigation and exacerbation of persecution and genocide. Attending to the role of the state and state policies in the history of violence, it will examine the discourses and practices that have both fuelled and justified the colonization of native peoples, enslavement of racial groups, the holocaust, and ethnic cleansing in 20th century genocides. We will also consider the recent attempts of the international community to prevent, deter, and curb genocidal outbreaks, and the theoretical assumptions about human behaviour that underpin them.
CROSS-LISTING:
POLI 4481.03
POLI 5512 The Politics of North America
CREDIT HOURS: 3
North America has become increasingly integrated over the last thirty years--economically, demographically, and even politically. This course will review the history of regional integration in North America, and consider a number of contemporary policy controversies. It bridges sub-disciplinary boundaries by looking at both domestic policy-making (Comparative Politics) and at bargaining between the three countries (International Relations).
FORMAT: Seminar
PREREQUISITES: Permission of the instructor.
POLI 5523 International Relations Theory 1: Order, Conflict and Change
CREDIT HOURS: 3
Explores classic and contemporary debates in International Relations theory, with particular attention to the nature of international order, the bases for war and peace, and the question of transformational change.
FORMAT: Seminar
PREREQUISITES: Permission of the Instructor
EXCLUSIONS:
POLI 4523.03
POLI 5524 International Relations Theory 2: Cooperation, Institutions and Development
CREDIT HOURS: 3
Explores classic and contemporary debates in International Relations theory, with particular attention to the bases for international cooperation, the role of law and institutions, and the foundations of political economy.
FORMAT: Seminar
PREREQUISITES: Permission of the Instructor
CROSS-LISTING:
POLI 4524.03
EXCLUSIONS: POLI 5520.06
POLI 5532 Indigenous Global Politics
CREDIT HOURS: 3
This course introduces students to topics of Indigenous governance, power, and self-determination in a global perspective. It examines how Indigenous peoples participate in contemporary global politics, challenging conventional approaches to the scholarship and practice of international relations. We explore the contradictions of the state as it relates to Indigenous peoples and alternatives to the current international system as expressed by Indigenous scholars, recognizing that these “alternatives” are not alternative to the peoples and cultures where these ways of knowing and being originate. We will ground our discussions in the context of colonialism past and present, highlighting Indigenous peoples’ resistance to colonialism and state violence, as well as relationships between decolonization and self-determination.
FORMAT: Seminar
EXCLUSIONS:
POLI 4532.03
POLI 5550 Japanese Foreign Policy
CREDIT HOURS: 3
This course focuses on the course of Japan's foreign policy since 1945, and the factors that have shaped its approaches to regional and international issues. Topics are studied in the contexts of Japanese history, cultural traditions, its economy, and domestic politics.
FORMAT: Seminar
FORMAT COMMENTS: Seminar 2 hours
CROSS-LISTING: POLI 3550.03
POLI 5560 Issues in Global Security and Development
CREDIT HOURS: 3
Security and development are indissolubly linked: development is compromised when security remains problematic, while a secure environment requires some form of sustainable development. Two of the principle manifestations of this ‘security-development nexus’ have been intrastate wars and collapsed states. In 2011 for example, none of the states emerging from civil war had reached any of the Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations. Moreover, the security-development relationship conditions our capacity to develop effective policies on how and whether to intervene in 'fragile' or 'collapsed' states where the security environment is highly problematic, and our capacity to contribute to the economic and human development of these countries. This course aims, first, to give students a broad understanding of the various dimensions of the security-development nexus; and second, to address significant practical implications of this nexus. An important portion of the course will examine specific case studies, and feature keynote practitioners who are grappling with these concepts in everyday situations in the field.
FORMAT: Seminar
FORMAT COMMENTS: Seminar, 3 hours
PREREQUISITES: Permission of the instructor.
CROSS-LISTING:
POLI 3560.03
POLI 5561 Security-Development Nexus: Theory, Policy & Complex Operations
CREDIT HOURS: 3
Security and development are indissolubly linked: development is compromised when security remains problematic, while a secure environment requires some form of sustainable development. Two of the principle manifestations of this ‘security-development nexus’ have been intrastate wars and collapsed states. In 2011 for example, none of the states emerging from civil war had reached any of the Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations. Moreover, the security-development relationship conditions our capacity to develop effective policies on how and whether to intervene in 'fragile' or 'collapsed' states where the security environment is highly problematic, and our capacity to contribute to the economic and human development of these countries. This course aims, first, to give students a broad understanding of the various dimensions of the security-development nexus; and second, to address significant practical implications of this nexus. An important portion of the course will examine specific case studies, and feature an interagency simulation to provide students with a sense of what it is like to grapple these concepts beyond the classroom.
FORMAT: Seminar
FORMAT COMMENTS: Seminar and Simulation.
LECTURE HOURS PER WEEK: 3
CROSS-LISTING:
PUAD 6561.03
RESTRICTIONS: By permission of the instructor
EXCLUSIONS:
POLI 4561.03,
POLI 5560.03 and
POLI 3560.03
POLI 5565 Contemporary Security Studies
CREDIT HOURS: 3
The course examines developments in the theory and practice of international security since the end of the Cold War. The first part reviews the concept of security and the main theoretical approaches that inform the contemporary security debate. The second part analyzes some of the key contemporary issues in world politics and their relation with international security.
FORMAT:
PREREQUISITES: Permission of the instructor.
CROSS-LISTING:
POLI 3565.03
POLI 5569 Canadian Foreign Policy
CREDIT HOURS: 3
This advanced seminar course is concerned with the ‘structure-agent’ problem as it applies to Canadian foreign policy. In other words, what are the structures (both material and normative) that shape and constrain the pursuit of Canadian foreign policy; what room for maneuver and initiative is there; and who are the key actors, or ‘agents’ who shape and implement Canada’s global role? The course discusses these questions through four sections: theoretical and analytical approaches to the study of Canadian foreign policy; the external context; the domestic context; and key themes and issues in Canadian foreign policy.
FORMAT: Seminar
PREREQUISITES: Permission of the instructor.
CROSS-LISTING:
POLI 4569.03
EXCLUSIONS: POLI 5570.06
POLI 5575 Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control in World Politics
CREDIT HOURS: 3
The seminar examines the technological, doctrinal, and political aspects of the nuclear weapons “problem” and the arms control “solution”. It also assesses the fate of contemporary nuclear arms control efforts.
PREREQUISITES: Permission of the instructor.
CROSS-LISTING:
POLI 4575.03
POLI 5581 International Diplomacy: Institutions and Practices
CREDIT HOURS: 3
This course looks at the way states decide which diplomatic strategies to pursue, and why these succeed or fail. Among the themes considered are the evolution of diplomacy as an international institution, national power and bargaining leverage, and the effects of domestic politics, psychology, and culture on international negotiation. Specific historical cases which may be reviewed in any given year include: the Peloponnesian War, the Munich Crisis, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the negotiation of the Canada-US Free Trade Agreement and NAFTA, and the Kyoto Protocol. Students participate in a negotiation-simulation exercise and write a paper on a particular case.
FORMAT:
PREREQUISITES: Permission of the instructor.
EXCLUSIONS:
POLI 4581.03
POLI 5587 International Political Economy
CREDIT HOURS: 3
This course is composed of two overlapping constituent themes. The first theme is that of competing explanations of international political economic behaviour - behaviour affected by that diffuse political authority characteristic of the international system, the second, that of examining the basic issues in international political economy - the fundamental questions as to why international trade, international finance, unequal economic development, international organization, and the multinational enterprise. The first theme functions to create the over-all framework of analysis by which competing approaches to international political economy can be evaluated. The second theme will integrate these approaches with issue areas within the fields of international trade, international finance, and what might be termed "international production" (within which fields issues such as economic development, the multinational enterprise, and the global "division of labour" constitute the major foci). The course sessions will roughly be constituted by 50 percent lecture and 50 percent organized student contributions for seminar discussion and debate.
FORMAT:
PREREQUISITES: Permission of the instructor.
CROSS-LISTING:
POLI 4587.03
POLI 5589 Politics of the Sea II
CREDIT HOURS: 3
The course will examine environmental, political and economic forces which affect contemporary ocean governance and management. Contemporary issues will be used to explore the geo-political ocean on a sectoral basis (transportation, fisheries and resources, military, etc), as well as analyzing the evolution of national and international oceans policies and institutions.
FORMAT:
PREREQUISITES: Permission of the instructor.
CROSS-LISTING:
MARA 5589.03,
POLI 4590.03
POLI 5595 Politics of the Sea II
CREDIT HOURS: 3
This course examines Ocean Governance in the context of global developments from UNCLOS/UNCED to Integrated Ocean and Coastal Management with a particular focus on issues of Oceans and Zones of Peace, the Economics of the Common Heritage and Institutional Requirements necessary to govern oceans equitably and in a sustainable manner. The course will be delivered in a seminar format and students will be required to deliver presentations, participate in simulation exercises and submit a term paper.
FORMAT:
PREREQUISITES: Permission of the instructor.
CROSS-LISTING:
POLI 4590